


Safest With You (Green Curtains)

by eavk



Series: Every Color of the Curtains AU [2]
Category: SKAM (Norway), SKAM (TV) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Artist Even, Bipolar Even Bech Næsheim, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mutual Pining, Pining, Shy Isak Valtersen, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 18:25:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14219073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eavk/pseuds/eavk
Summary: "Hello Even, thank you for coming. This is Isak and he's going back to the dorms." The security lady gestured towards him, and Even, who had already been looking at Isak smiled wider. "Stay safe you two, good night."Even pointed to the door, "Shall we?"Or,Isak keeps staying up too late studying at the library, but luckily there's an escort service that gives students a buddy to walk with to keep safe at night.





	Safest With You (Green Curtains)

Tuesday @18:24

 

"Why don't you ever stay home and study?" 

Jonas was hanging off the edge of his bed, legs propped up on the wall with his head upside down and phone pressed to his ear slightly off as he looked over at Isak, who was about to open their door. 

"Because this room is too small and I don't need to hear you and your girlfriend having phone sex." 

Jonas rolled his eyes and Isak could hear a loud laugh come from the other end of Jonas' phone. Isak unlocked the door and checked his pockets to make sure he had his ID card. 

"Be careful, it's already sunset. Don't stay out too late, that thing happened just last week." 

Isak could see Jonas' big eyebrows furrow in worry, and he reassured him he'd be fine. 

"I'm a big boy, I can walk home at night by myself." Isak opened the door and waved before walking through, "Have fun, you know the drill if you do end up having sex."

Isak laughed as he heard Jonas' groan as the door closed and automatically locked, and he quickly walked over to the elevator. 

__________

 

As Isak's eyes refused to stay open, he knew it was time to head back to the dorms. Isak packed up his books and laptop, pausing for a brief moment to cover his mouth as he yawned. He checked his phone and was surprised to see it was already 23:00. It was only recently he started studying at the library at night, and this was probably the latest he had ever stayed on campus. 

As he stood up from the table he was hunched over for the past four hours, he noticed how empty the library was aside from a couple other people looking ready to pass out as well. 

He stretched his arms up and twisted his torso as he walked out of the biology section and to the elevators, silently reminding himself to get up every couple hours next time he studies. 

The elevator made a loud ding as it arrived, and the abrupt sound made him jump. He walked in and pressed the lobby button, when he noticed the sign posted on the wall adjacent to the levels. 

It had information about the universities night escort service. Isak did a double take before realizing it wasn’t anything sexual, but a little buddy system the university had for students walking on campus at late hours. The flyer provided a number to call in bold lettering, and ensured a person to accompany you if you ever feel unsafe on campus. 

Isak appreciated the sentiment, but assumed the service must have been made with the female students in mind. He hesitated for a second before quickly inputting the number onto his phone. Just in case. 

As he walked home to the sound of the brisk winter wind blowing, he felt a little more paranoid than usual, but he blames it on Jonas' warning before he left earlier, and the poster in the elevator. 

Isak (embarrassingly) almost runs up the stairs to the third floor where he and Jonas' room is located, not wanting to wait for the elevator. He heaves a sigh of relief once he's through the doors, and sees Jonas softly snoring in the same position he had left him in. Isak’s pulse slowly starts to even out again, and he quietly shuts the door before making his way to his own bed. 

 

 

Thursday @20:22

 

"You study too much Issy."

"And you study too little."

Isak shoved his socked feet into his shoes and brought his bag onto his shoulder. 

"Don't wait up, but I should be home before 23:00." He had an early morning class and didn't want to miss it (he already missed too much lectures, he has no clue what's going on). 

Typically Isak only studies at the library once a week, but he's found the quiet atmosphere a lot easier to lose himself in his textbooks instead of being distracted all the time. 

He makes his way to the biology section at his usual table, and starts diving in. 

__________

 

As Isak feels a firm tapping on his shoulder, he wakes up with a start, realizing he passed out right there on the desk. 

"Sorry sir, but it's closing time. You should head back to the dorms." 

The gruff security guard gestured towards his watch before walking away to wake up the next sleeping student, a couple desks away. Isak blinked, trying to regain consciousness. 

He checked his watch and jumped when he saw it was already 2:00. 

"Shit, shit, shit-" He shoved his papers into his bag and unplugged his laptop that was overheating. He could feel the indents of a zipper on his face where his cheek was laying on his backpack and he cursed again silently. 

He walked over to the elevators, this time accompanied by another student who looked even worse than he did, and they both walked in and hit the lobby button. 

Isak glanced over at the escort buddy poster, and he grimaced, remembering just how late it was. 

As the elevator door opened the other boy sluggishly walked out, but as soon as he got to the entrance he visibly perked up and speed walked out. Within seconds, he was out of Isak's line of sight. 

Isak hesitated, and another guard who was sitting at the desk by the entrance raised an eyebrow. Isak muttered an apology, but before he could force himself out of the door, she stopped him. 

"Do you want me to call an escort to walk you back to your dorm?" She asked kindly. 

Isak felt his cheeks warm up, embarrassed at how paranoid he was being. He didn't answer yet before she continued,

"It's pretty late, kid. Just wait a minute and I'll call someone for you."

She dialed the number on the phone at her desk, and said something briefly before hanging up. She told Isak it would take a few minutes and that he could sit while he waited. 

They made casual conversation as they waited, and he was grateful for the kindness helping to ease his mind. 

"Hello, I'm here to escort the gentleman." 

Isak turned at the sound of a deep voice behind him. In his weary state he wondered if he was still sleeping in the midst of a dream, because this tall man standing in front of him couldn't possibly be real. But then he remembered reading somewhere about how people couldn't make up faces in their dreams, that they were always people you've met in real life. 

Isak would have surely remembered this guy. 

He was tall, so tall, with messy blonde hair and oh god- were those blue eyes? Isak expected a burly man wearing a security guard suit, but this guy was wearing a simple white shirt under a black jacket and jeans that hugged his long, long, legs. 

He was probably openly gaping, and Isak quickly stood up and snapped out of his trance. 

Isak had finally calmed down a bit, but now his heart was racing for a completely different reason. 

"Hello Even, thank you for coming. This is Isak and he's going back to the dorms." The security lady gestured towards him, and Even, who had already been looking at Isak smiled wider. "Stay safe you two, good night."

Even pointed to the door, "Shall we?"

__________

 

Isak did feel safer now, but he knew for sure he was about to die. He expected the ten minute walk to the dorms to be agonizing, but it was even worse. 

Even was nice, and sweet, and hot. 

As soon as they left the library, Even had asked Isak what his major was. When Isak said biology, he whistled, impressed, and Isak could only hope the darkness of the late hour hid his flushed cheeks. 

He decided to direct the conversation to be about Even, or else he'd pass out from his attention and praise. 

"How about you, are you a student?"

"Yup, graduate student though. I don't have much classes now and they're all in the afternoon so this gig fits perfectly into my schedule."

"How'd you start?"

"I've always been a night owl, and my friend who also works as a night buddy recommended it to me. It's kind of fun, too." Even smiled, "I like meeting new people."

Isak noticed the black fanny pack with neon reflective tape covering the strap slung on Even's shoulder. 

"Oh, this? They give it to us to carry during our shift. It holds pepper spray, bandaids, stuff like that. They also have us trained in self defense and other safety protocols so we're prepared for any situation."

"Oh, that's good."

"Yeah, so don't worry your pretty curls," Even winked, "You're safe with me."

Yeah, Isak was screwed. 

 

 

Monday @23:32

 

Isak had an exam tomorrow, that's why he spent so long at the library tonight. That also explains why he's completely awake, veins thrumming in anticipation. 

For his exam tomorrow. 

Isak checked his watch again before cleaning up and putting his belongings back into his bag. He took the stairs this time, walking down to the lobby from the third floor with his phone in hand. Once he reached the last flight of stairs he unlocked his phone with a slow exhale of a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. 

He pressed call. 

"Hello, Oslo University Escort Night Buddy Services, how may I help you?"

"Hi- um, I'd like to have someone walk with me back to the dorms?" Isak could feel his heart stuttering, but surely it was because of having to talk to someone on the phone. No one likes phone calls. 

"Of course! Where would you like them to meet you?"

"I'm at the library on the upper campus."

"Okay! Please wait a few minutes and I'll direct the nearest night buddy to walk you home. Thank you, have a safe night!"

The call ended abruptly and Isak suddenly felt very stupid. What if Even wasn't even working? He quickly shook his head, remembering that this was just for safety reasons. Not because he wanted to see Even again. Right. 

It was a different security guard at the front desk than the one he made acquaintances with last week, so he decided to wait outside of the entrance this time. 

He shivered a little, cursing himself for not having the foresight to bring a jacket. 

"Isak?"

Isak jerked his head up to the sound, and flushed immediately when he saw it was actually Even escorting him again. 

Even stepped closer when Isak nodded, and smiled brightly. 

"Hello! How are you tonight? You seem to study late often, huh?" 

"Hi Even, I'm good." Isak fell into stride next to Even as they walked off. "Yeah, I have an exam tomorrow. How are you?"

"I'm great! The weather's so nice, I've always been a fan of the cold."

Isak suddenly remembered just how cold it was just in his thin shirt and jeans, and his body shuddered. "Yeah, it's really chilly."

Even glanced at Isak and his brows furrowed in worry. "Are you cold? You're shivering!"

"Haha, yeah I forgot a jacket, but I'm fine-"

Even quickly shrugged off his jean jacket and placed it around Isak's shoulders, effectively cutting off his sentence. Isak's mouth gaped, shocked, before he tried taking it off again. 

"No, no! You'll be cold! Here-"

"Isak, it's okay! I really do enjoy the chill, and I can stand a few minutes." He was closer now and he smiled down at Isak, "Plus, it looks quite good on you."

Before Isak could reroute his brain into finding a possible retaliation to that, Even took a step back then started walking again. "Good thing the university lets us wear casual clothes."

"You guys don't wear a uniform or something?"

"Nah, we aren't official like the security guards. The service is actually run by student volunteers! I needed some hours for my resume and a bunch of my other friends volunteer as well when they can."

"Wow... that's- that's really kind of you."

"Aw, thanks." He beamed at Isak, "But it's really not much. Thankfully there aren't much extreme cases, and it's nice to do when I have time. Oh- and we're here!"

Even stopped in front of the buildings entrance and held the door open for Isak. 

"Thank you so much for walking me over, again." Isak slid the jacket off his shoulders and held it up to Even, "You even kept me safe from the cold weather, haha." 

Even took the jacket back and slung it over his arm casually. He placed his hand on Isak's shoulder and softly squeezed. 

"Anytime, Isak."

__________

 

It became a thing. 

Isak was going to the library more frequently, and while the time he went home varied, it was always late enough for him to justify a call to the night buddy service. It had gotten to a point where Mikael, the person who answered the phone for the service, knew Isak just by his voice, and made it a point to always assign Even to him whenever he called. 

Isak still felt like a stuttering mess whenever he talked to Even, but they had eventually began to be friends. Much faster than Isak was used to. 

The walk to the dorms was fairly quick, but each time it took them a little longer to get there. With each conversation ranging from music, to essay topics, to Isak ranting about parallel universes (bless Even for letting him indulge in one of his favorite subjects), he felt himself opening up more and more. Isak had never been so quickly enraptured with another person. He can’t even recall ever feeling quite like this, ever. 

He was so screwed. 

 

 

Thursday @13:45

 

"Hey, y'know the universities night escort thing?"

Isak froze a bit. Yes, he was very well acquainted with the service he has been using for the past two months. 

"Uh- yeah, I've heard of it. What about it?"

Jonas looked at him from where he was sat on Isak's bed, while Isak was on his.

"Have you ever wanted to try it out? You're always at the library so late, you go like, four times a week now, you’re insane." 

Isak could see the worry in Jonas' face, and Isak realized just how often he had been out for nightly "studying".

Isak contemplated lying or not, but stops himself. He trusts Jonas, and knows there's nothing to be ashamed of. Though he could already feel his face getting a little hot. 

"Yeah... I've actually been using it a lot. It's nice." 

"Oh! That's a relief." Jonas sent him an easy smile. "Magnus has used it a couple times too, said they have a bunch of tall handsome dudes working there." He wiggled his eyebrows and Isak rolled his eyes, turning his face into his pillow in mock exasperation, when in actuality it was to hide the blush creeping up his neck. . 

When he was sure his face was okay again, he turned to Jonas about to retaliate, when he noticed the look on Isak's face. 

"Bro, don't tell me... are you hooking up with one of them?"

"No! No, no, no." 

Jonas raised his eyebrows, amused. "Okay, then why are you making that face? Is it true, are you pining over one of those tall, hot, guys?"

Isak groaned and Jonas let out a sound of glee. 

"Spill."

Isak sighed, knowing Jonas wouldn't stop until he complied. 

"His name is Even..." Jonas just looked at him expectantly, so he continued. "He is tall and handsome. Really nice, like ridiculously nice, and very sweet. We're friends now, I think. But I don't think he's into me." Isak looked down, pulling a loose thread from his sleeve. "He's really nice- but I mean, he kinda has to be."

Jonas is quiet for a second. "Well, does he like guys?"

"Yeah, I think so." Isak remembers seeing a pride pin clipped onto Even's jean jacket. "But that doesn't mean he'd like me." Isak was always a bit cynical, but finally saying it out loud stung a little. 

Isak thinks back to the smiles and winks Even has thrown at him. The casual and sometimes even personal conversations they had. 

He knows about Even’s dog back at home, the songs on his study playlist, the name of his mom, the director that inspired him to go into the film industry. He could write an analysis essay about Romeo and Juliet solely based off of a night when Even was feeling particularly hipster. Isak ended up watching it on a night he couldn’t fall asleep, and when he told Even a week later, Isak was almost blinded by Even’s smile. 

Truly, it went both ways. Even knew Isak’s favorite breakfast, how he quietly sings in the shower, why he needs to sleep with socks on, his theory on why there just had to be infinite universes. Even was confused about the concept, so Isak had explained how miniscule the differences could be.

“Well, um- what’s the color of your curtains?”

“Green?”

“In another universe it could be orange!”

Even had let Isak rant on and on, and Isak would have been embarrassed by his rambling but Even had just listened, nodding along and encouraging him to continue.

It should mean something. But he hasn't had the chance to see if all of those things were exclusive to Isak, or if Even was just that charming and nice of a guy to everyone. 

"C'mon, Is." Jonas walked over and sat next to Isak. He gently laid his hand on Isak's hair, combing through the strands. "Who can resist these curls?"

 

 

Wednesday @13:30

 

"Jonas, okay, I really need you to not turn around-"

The two were sitting across from each other at a table placed outside of the university's cafe, untouched books spread out around their half eaten lunch.

Jonas, of course, whipped his head back immediately, and Isak wanted to scream. 

Isak furiously whispered, "Jonas, what the fuck man!"

"Oh shit- is that Even?" Jonas exclaimed, not whispering at all. Isak had vaguely told Jonas what Even had looked like, assuming he'd probably never have the luck of running into him. He was wrong. 

Jonas turned back to Isak, beaming. "You should call him over! I wanna meet him."

"Are you crazy? No, I am not doing that, not with you right here."

Jonas pouted, and Isak glared daggers at him. Before Jonas could protest, Isak saw a familiar figure quickly walk up to them. 

"Isak! Hey, how are you?"

If Isak thought Even looked amazing at night, he was absolutely glowing during the day. From Isak's view where he was sitting, Even stood over them, looking impossibly taller. Isak thought that he could faintly see the angels flying around Even's halo of perfect blonde hair. 

Isak was chill. He has seen and talked to Even's gorgeous face enough times to not blush everytime they make eye contact. They were friends.

However, Isak wasn't mentally prepared to see Even just out in the open, and with Jonas and his bushy eyebrows wagging up and down excitedly, he felt very, very flustered. 

Clearly, Isak's brain was out of order, so Jonas lifted his hand in a wave and greeted Even himself. 

"Hey, Even right? Isak talks a lot about you!"

That snapped Isak out of his trance. He kicked Jonas' shin underneath the table, hard. Isak could see the poorly contained flinch, but Even hadn't seem to notice, he was staring at Isak instead. 

Even's friendly smile slightly turned into a smirk, before it evened out and he raised his eyebrows. "Oh, does he now?"

"No! I mean-" Isak could feel how red his face was, and the bright sun shining down was doing nothing to hide it. "Jonas was just wondering about the night buddy thing, and I just told him how helpful you always are." Isak could hear how fast the words were tumbling out of him, in a desperate attempt to cover Jonas' betrayal. 

Even just chuckled and nodded, Isak could see a glint in his eyes, that wow- looked even more blue now during the day. 

"That's good, yeah- I'm always eager to help. Isak's my number one customer." Even winked. 

Jonas raised his eyebrows while Isak slightly struggled to breathe. 

"Well, I gotta go now, just wanted to say a quick hello." Even clapped a hand on Isak's shoulder and slowly started taking steps backwards. "But I'll see you tonight, Isak." Even threw one last grin before turning and leaving. 

When he was out of sight, Isak promptly slammed his face onto the table, mind whirling at the fact that Even hadn't even phrased it as a question. Even knew damn well that they'd see each other later. 

Jonas let out a low whistle and reached to pat Isak's head comfortingly. "Wow Isak, you sure know how to pick ‘em."

__________

 

"Not that I'm complaining, but you finished pretty early tonight, any reason why?"

Mikael had said the same thing, surprised when Isak called. It was only a little before 22:00 when Isak decided he was done studying for the day. 

Isak shrugged. "I tried studying for an hour, but I couldn't focus." He decided to leave out the reason for his incapacity to think properly was because Even had been plaguing his head since their run-in earlier that day. 

Even pursed his lips briefly, before abruptly stopping. "Well, wanna go on a detour?"

__________

 

Even refused to tell Isak where they were going, insisting it be a surprise, and Isak simply went along with it. 

He would follow Even anywhere, really. 

They were on the lower end of the campus, an area Isak wasn't very familiar with because all of his classes were on the upper campus. 

Weaving through multiple buildings, they finally stopped in front of one simply labeled, 'The Art Building'. Isak followed Even as he walked around to the side of the building that was facing towards a small empty park, and Isak gaped. 

The side of the building ran tall, and the expanse of it stretched farther down than Isak had initially thought. There were large panels, each must have been at least six feet wide and ten feet tall, and within them were beautiful, colorful murals. 

Even in the dim lighting from the park lights, Isak could see the amazing detail each painting had. The one they were stood in front of had a goldfish out of water, floating beside it's tank. He took a few steps back, to get a better view of the entire piece. 

"Woah-" Isak slowly took in each detail, before looking at the next mural, an entire garden of intricate flowers painted within a mass of clouds. 

"Pretty cool, yeah?" Even was grinning, looking at Isak's expression of pure awe. 

They slowly made their way along the wall, until they reached the last one at the very end, almost hidden behind a tree that was growing close to the building. 

The wall was covered with a huge wave that was crashing, which abruptly transitioned into a silent, still sea. The water was painted a mute red, while the sky itself was a pale yellow. On the sandy shore sat the silhouette of a single person, looking out, seemingly watching the scene. 

"Wow."

"Thanks." Isak looked at Even, and he pointed to the wall. "I painted this last semester." 

"It's amazing." Even smiled, and Isak looked back at it. "Is there a meaning behind it?"

"What do you think it means?" Even looked at him. 

Isak took in the crashing water, the dull color palette, and the figure standing alone. 

"It looks like the calm after a storm. But, I don't know- it seems kind of, I guess, too still." Compared to the wild lines of the crashing water, the way it calmed down didn't look calm at all. The flat line looked as if the sea had it's life sucked out of it. "And the person, he's just looking at it happen."

He felt his chest knot up the longer he looked at it. To Isak, it felt like he was inside the painting, living it. He was the person on the beach, watching his mom, years ago. Standing there helpless, alone, as the storm inside her raged on. Until she was gone. 

When he didn't continue, he felt Even reach out, taking Isak's hand. 

"Let's head back." He smiled at Isak gently, and he could briefly see something behind Even's eyes. Too distracted by the tender contact, he didn't stop to wonder what the true meaning was. 

As they walked back, the heaviness in Isak's heart dissipated slowly, as he felt the warmth of Even's hand in his. 

_____________

 

"Isak, wait-"

Isak's hand on the door handle paused, and he looked back at Even. 

"Can I give you my number?" Even asked quickly, "I know we only ever see each other like this, but I consider you a good friend now, and-" 

Heart racing, Isak shoved his phone at Even, abruptly stopping the words spilling out. 

Even smiled, his eyes crinkling, and he quickly put in his number before handing the phone back to Isak. 

Even started to walk backwards, "Call me any time Isak, I mean it!" 

He disappeared into the night, and Isak could feel the butterflies in his stomach, the energy inside him making him almost vibrate with glee. 

He unlocked his phone, and checked to see what Even had saved his name under. 

It took him a while, but eventually he found it. 

"Romeo."

 

 

Friday @21:21

 

Isak didn't even bother to go to the library tonight. The last time he had seen Even kept popping into his head. It was still relatively early in the night, and he felt weird calling the night escort service to pick him up at the dorms instead of somewhere on the main campus. 

Even had given his number to Isak last night, but Isak was too nervous to text him. Honestly, he kind of hated texting. But before he could stop himself, his thumb was already above the call button, and he pressed it without giving himself time to back out. 

After two rings, Even picked up. 

"Hello?"

"Hi Even, it's Isak."

"Oh, my Juliet!" Isak could hear Even's voice instantly perk up, and he blushed furiously, forgetting for a moment what he had called for. "What's up?"

"Um- are you free? I'm just at the dorms, but I don’t know. I kind of wanted to go outside and clear my head."

"I'll be right there."

__________

 

Even had asked Isak where he wanted to go, and Isak shyly asked if they could go back to the art building. Even just gave him a small smile, and led the way. 

Now they were sitting underneath a tree that stood a few feet away from Even's mural. 

"I can't believe you were so close to transferring to Nissen!"

"I'm kinda glad I didn't, it sucks having to switch schools in the last year. I don't think I would have even made any friends!"

Isak pouts. "I would have been your friend."

"Maybe in another universe we would have met in high school." Even grinned, "I was a bit of an ass back then though. I'm more mature now!" 

Isak rolled his eyes fondly before agreeing. "I probably would have been too intimidated by you, honestly. You got that whole James Dean vibe, I bet you wore leather jackets and kept blunts tucked behind your ear."

"I did actually." 

They both laughed wholeheartedly, teasing each other about their cringey school days before the conversation tapered off. The air was silent and still again, and Isak looked up at the painting in front of him. Even followed his gaze, and seemed to already be expecting Isak's question. 

"Will you tell me about your painting?"

Even was silent for a moment, before exhaling slowly. 

"When I painted this, it was an extra credit assignment my art professor gave me... to make up for a couple weeks I missed from class. She told me to not think- to just let everything I had been feeling, out."

Isak listened silently, and carefully laid his hand on Even's. Even instantly turned his palm up, and intertwined their fingers before continuing. 

"Last year... I had a rough time. Everything felt like it was falling apart. I felt like I was falling apart." He closed his eyes and leaned his head onto the tree trunk behind them. "I was stressed with school, with my job, with myself. It all kept building up inside of me, and I just exploded."

Isak could feel Even's hand clench, and Isak held even tighter. 

"I'm bipolar." Even cracked an eye open, locking his gaze on Isak's. "Last year was one of the worst episodes I had ever had. The period afterward... I felt like I was barely there. As if I had died, but my body was still on Earth." 

Despite the heavy words, Even let out a small smile. 

"But I'm much, much better now. My friends were there for me. It took me weeks, days, minutes, until I was okay again. I had always pushed it around thinking it would just go away, if I tried really hard. But I've accepted it now." With his free hand he gestured towards the mural. "It wasn't until after I finished the painting that I realized I didn't paint myself watching the ocean. I'm facing out, to the viewer."

Isak looked at it again, but in the eyes of Even's. 

The person on the beach was faceless, and Isak had originally thought that it was showing the back of a head, but with Even's words he could see it now. The face was hidden by the shadows. Instead, the ocean was behind him. As if he knew it was there, but was unbothered. 

Earlier, Isak had pictured himself as the person in the painting, but it wasn't intended to make the viewer feel that they themselves were there on the beach. It was simply Even standing there, in front of it all. 

On the lower right of the painting in small print, Isak could see the title of the piece. 

"Minute by Minute." Isak read out loud. 

Isak looked into Even's eyes, and saw how vulnerable he was. How he had carved a hole right into his own chest and let Isak look inside, invited him inside. 

"Thank you. For telling me."

Heart stuttering, Isak slowly brought their hands up, caressing Even's cheek gently, and Even followed it, his lips brushing against Isak’s palm. Even's eyes were closed, his breath labored. Isak carefully leaned up, and placed his lips to Even's forehead. Isak felt him exhale a long breath. 

In the glow of the moonlight, Isak felt braver. He brought his other hand to rest on Even's neck. 

Even finally opened his eyes again, and they looked at each other, lips parted. Isak searched in his eyes for a signal that this was okay, that Even needed this as much as he did. He found it in the way Even slowly inched closer, and Isak threw away all thoughts of anything other than right there, right now. 

Even gasped as Isak closed the space between them, and he became desperate, tugging him impossibly closer, wanting them to melt together into one. Even's hands moved underneath Isak's jacket to grip his hips as Isak straddled him, keeping him grounded. 

Isak pulled back, breathless, and Even chased his lips, pressing them together again for just a second more. 

Even raised Isak's hand to his mouth, pressing a sweet kiss to each knuckle. 

Isak felt like he was bursting at the seams, his chest expanding, throat constricting, and soon he was giggling. Even soon followed, grinning like a fool, drunk on happiness. 

Isak shoved his face into the crook of Even's neck, bashful. He felt Even's fingers run through his hair, and he snuggled even closer. 

He had never felt safer, in Even’s arms.

**Author's Note:**

> BONUS: 
> 
> “Hey baby?”
> 
> Isak grunted, his face hidden as it was squished against Even’s bare chest. “What?”
> 
> “I just realized, at our wedding when we tell people how we met, we’re gonna have to say it was through an escort service.”
> 
> “Even!”
> 
>  
> 
> This took quite a long time to write! I usually just write my stuff in one go, but I edited this a lot and took weeks to build up. Hope it was alright!
> 
> Also, I ended up wanting to make this a series! It’s a little subtle, but in each part I want to make their curtains a different color, to represent them in different universes with different colored curtains. I don’t know if I’ll write a story for every color out there, but I just love the concept of alternate universes, and we all know they end up together in every one.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and please comment if you liked it! It encourages me to continue writing :))
> 
> \- aea


End file.
